Sunday drive: Mount Tamalpais

What you'll see: Ridgecrest Boulevard is a pretty drive up the west flank of Mount Tamalpais that often provides sensational long-distance views of the Marin coast, especially in winter. Along the way, you'll see dirt pull-outs where you can park and then follow unsigned paths that lead to the nearby hilltops to the west, short walks that usually take only 5 to 10 minutes. From these hilltops, you can see Bolinas Bay, Stinson Beach and Bolinas Lagoon, all directly below, and gaze beyond across the ocean to the Farallon Islands. Sunset views from Ridgecrest can rival those from anywhere in the Bay Area.

Ridgecrest, a pretty two-lane road located on Bolinas Ridge in the western foothills of Mount Tamalpais, links the Panoramic Highway to Bolinas-Fairfax Road. It is sometimes overlooked because most drivers stay on Panoramic to Highway 1 at Stinson Beach.

Loop option: If you continue north on Ridgecrest, it becomes Bolinas-Fairfax Road. It drops into redwoods and then crosses Alpine Lake Dam en route to Fairfax and Sir Francis Drake Boulevard.

How to get there: From San Francisco, take U.S. 101 to Marin and the exit for Highway 1/Stinson Beach. Take that exit and drive west to the stoplight at a T intersection for Highway 1. Turn left on Highway 1 and drive 4 miles to the Panoramic Highway. Bear right on Panoramic and drive 5.5 miles to Pantoll Road. Turn right on Pantoll and drive 1.5 miles to the T Intersection (across from Rock Spring parking and trailhead) with Ridgecrest Boulevard. Turn left on Ridgecrest. In the next 2 miles or so, you will see pull-outs along the shoulder, with short trails available to hilltop lookouts.